CareerBuilder issues optimistic hiring forecast as economic indicators point to progress

As part of a string of mixed – but, mostly positive – messages regarding the progress of the economic recovery, CareerBuilder recently issued its “most optimistic fourth quarter projection since 2007.”

“We’re seeing continued evidence of stability and growth in the U.S. job market,” CareerBuilder CEO Matt Ferguson said in a press release. “A dramatic upswing in hiring is not likely to happen in the near term, but we’re setting the stage for better job creation in 2013 and beyond.”

This is welcome news after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently announced it was lowering its expectations regarding global economic growth and warned of several risks facing the current recovery.

However, other indicators, such as a regularly updated University of Michigan-Thomson Reuters gauge of consumer confidence, are also on the rise. This is creating a more optimistic environment, which could buoy consumer spending and turn the nation’s increasing economic confidence in a self-fulfilling prophecy.

If an economic expansion is indeed underway, businesses will need to prepare to scale up their activities.

Professional recruiters can help companies fill important positions

Although economic conditions do have an effect on businesses’ expansion plans, not every hiring decision is based on growth projections. In general, if a company needs to recruit a new CFO, for instance, that is what it’s going to do, regardless of the economic climate. And, when a business needs such a critical position filled, it has to act quickly and effectively to find the right person for the job.

When a company finds itself in a contingency situation, working with a recruitment firm can be the difference between conducting a fast, efficient financial professional search that equips the company to handle its future challenges, and allowing a search to drag on ineffectively as corporate leaders attempt to simultaneously fill an important position and remain focused on their day-to-day responsibilities.